Manchester, N.H. – To help low-income homeowners in Claremont, N.H., access home-repair and weatherization services, the Citizens Bank Foundation has donated $10,000 to COVER Home Repair of White River Junction.

COVER Home Repair works with homeowners and volunteers to provide urgently needed home repairs that keep the inhabitants warm, safe and dry. Approximately 85 percent of its clients are below the federal poverty guideline. COVER offers a weatherization program empowering homeowners and volunteers with knowledge and supplies to reduce fuel and energy usage. Typical home repairs include roofing, structural repair, accessibility ramps and modifications. Weatherization work is primarily air sealing, insulation and sometimes door and window replacement.

“We have found that by bringing volunteers and homeowners together to complete home-repair projects, we can be very effective in increasing housing security for low-income home owners,” said Rob Schultz, Executive Director of COVER Home Repair. “With this support from the Citizens Bank Foundation, we will extend our reach to serve Claremont homeowners.”

COVER’s Weatherization Program puts volunteers to work on 100 weatherization projects per year in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. COVER’S goal is to complete six to eight home-repair and weatherization projects in Claremont in the coming year.

"Many of our neighbors live in homes that do not provide adequate shelter from the elements, particularly during the cold winter months,” said Joe Carelli, President, Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens in New Hampshire and Vermont. “COVER’s unique approach to bringing homeowners and volunteers together to make homes warmer and safer is helping to build community while strengthening the bond between neighbors."

COVER Home Repair has been a volunteer-assisted home-repair and weatherization program since 1998, evolving out of a program called "Project Insulation" led by a group of Dartmouth College students. Since then, COVER has developed both the ReCover Store, a business that offers donated, bargain-priced, used building materials and appliances for sale to the public; and an education program that provides classes on how to tackle common home-repair projects and home-repair basics.

About the Citizens Bank Foundation
Citizens Bank Foundation is a subsidiary of the Citizens Charitable Foundation, which is a charitable contributions vehicle of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc., RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. The foundation’s support is focused on human services, affordable housing and economic development. RBSCFG’s website is citizensbank.com.